Railways Of The Western Region In The 1970s And 1980s

With a wealth of rare and previously unpublished images, Kevin Redwood documents this fascinating period in Britain’s railway history.

A wonderfully evocative portrait of the Western Region during an interesting time of transformation on Britain's railways.

A photographic record of the western region's rail freight scene during the interesting period of the 1980s.

With words and pictures, a railway enthusiast examines the huge changes in the British railway network over a 50-year period. Looking at trains in Great Britain from 1970 to 2020, we see how steam-age infrastructure has gradually given way to a streamlined modern railway. The beginning of the period saw the final stages of the Beeching cuts, with the closure of some rural branches and lesser-used stations. Since the 1980s, the tide has turned, and numerous lines and stations have joined or rejoined the network. As for freight, we see how the complex operations of the 20th century have been replaced by a far smaller number of specialized terminals, while marshalling yards in the traditional sense have all but disappeared. And the long process of updating our railway signaling has continued apace, even though some semaphore gems have managed to survive into the 21st century. “This book looks at all the various changes that have taken place in Britain’s railways since 1970 . . . . Such things as freight, stations closing and opening, or re-opening, locomotive depots and signaling are all covered in detail. What makes this book so good is the number of photographs supplied by the author ranging from back in the 1970s to the present. This is a book worth having if you are interested in the infrastructure of Britain's railways. Beautifully illustrated.” —Branch Line Britain “An interesting and recommended work.” —West Somerset Railway Association

A wonderfully evocative selection of unpublished images as John Evans explores this fascinating period of change in Britain's railway history.

The South Wales Division was one of the three operating divisions of the Western Region. Explore the South Wales Railways in the 1980s with previously unpublished photographs.

This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which the GWR line in North and West Wales has changed and developed over the last century.

A wonderful collection of photographs showing the changes in the railways around Doncaster.